Comfort Food Sunday: Chorizo Crock Pot Chili

I  forget about chili sometimes. It's not that I don't love it, because I do. But when I reach for my crock pot I'm usually whipping up some stew, pork chops or corned beef. But since we had some friends over yesterday to watch football, I thought chili and cornbread would fit the bill perfectly. Luckily the chili was delicious, because watching the Seahawks lose to the 49ers was lame. What do you like to eat while watching football?

I like my chili full of spice, beans and chorizo sausage. I also prefer chili topped with sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream and green onion. Oh, and cornbread. Gotta have the cornbread! You can make this chili on the stove rather than in a crock pot, but I love being able to throw all these ingredients together and let them cook for hours. Really brings out the flavors, and it's so easy!

Chorizo Crock Pot Chili
1 onion, diced
4-5 celery stalks, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground chorizo sausage
2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans
2 (15 oz) cans black beans
1 (10 oz) can tomato paste
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 cups beef broth
2 tbs. cumin
3 tbs. chili powder
1 tbs. paprika
2tbs. hot sauce (I used Tapatio)
1 tbs. BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)
Salt and pepper
Sriracha sauce, optional (I used about 1 tbs)
Toppings: sour cream, cheddar cheese and green onion

1. In a large saucepan, add onion and celery and cook in a small amount of olive oil. Add ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Add garlic, 1 tbs. cumin and 1 tbs. chili powder. Place beef mixture into crock pot.
2. Brown chorizo sausage and add to crock pot.
3. Add black beans, kidney beans, tomato paste, beef broth and diced tomatoes. Add remainder of cumin, chili powder and paprika. Add BBQ sauce and hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Turn on crock pot on low for 6-8 hours. Taste a few hours into cooking and add Sriracha or other hot sauce if desired.
5. Top with sour cream, green onions and cheese.